The Hardest Thing
by the-bird-flies
Summary: And once upon a time, she did the hardest thing. Once upon a time, she walked away. SasuSaku, kinda sorta.


Once upon a time there lived a girl. This girl had everything; friends, a family, a hitae-ate. Every day the sun came to greet her, reaching its warm fingers through her window and wrapping themselves around her, a comforting light on her face.

Once upon a time, this girl met a boy.

He was dark, mysterious, the prince Coldheart. And Coldheart, with his black hair and onyx eyes, he had no family. He had no friends. But he had power. The sun never came to greet him in the morning, to kiss his pale skin with its golden light. Coldheart was every person's dream.

Once upon a time, this girl fell in love with the boy.

This girl loved Coldheart with everything that she had. She met him with a smile, asked him to accompany her everywhere, did anything for him. She protected him in battle, brought him to the sun.

Once upon a time, that boy left her.

He left them all, walking away in the night. She tried to stop him, but he did not listen. His dark eyes were the last thing that she saw of him, a few words the last that she heard. His hands were as cold as his heart. And he walked away, a smile on his lips as he watched her fall.

Once upon a time, that boy broke her heart.

She cried and the sun stopped greeting her. Rain and thunder reached through her window, bringing back memories of Coldheart. Her heart broke again and again, shattering as she thought of him. He was the only thing that she had seen and now he was gone. Lost friends were still lost, and now he was lost too.

Once upon a time, a girl made it her goal to find him.

And she tried. She really tried. But it seemed that she wasn't good enough. Always there was someone better than her, someone worthy to go on this journey. She heard rumors of him, rumors that broke her heart to hear. She tried to stop them, but it seemed that everyone had forgotten the good things that Coldheart did. And slowly, she did too.

Once upon a time, she forgot.

And it seemed then that all she did was sit there, waiting for him to come back, to make sure that her memory was correct. Was he still handsome, cold? Was he still the same boy who left? Had he changed? What was he like now? She searched her memory for clues, wanting to know him. She grew thin, stopped eating entirely. She sat up in the attic, growing pale and ghostly. She stayed up there forever, it seemed, only eating when completely necessary. People tried to make her come down, but she refused. The sun had forsaken her finally, leaving her alone, the curtains drawn.

Once upon a time, she came down.

And they were shocked. She was a ghost, thin as a flower stem, pale as the moon. Her hair was long and dull, matted like a cat's. But her eyes, those emerald eyes, they were bright, glittering. They stood out from her emaciated face like candles in the darkness. And she was smiling.

Once upon a time, she remembered.

She remembered everything; the way that his hair blew in the wind, his panting breath as he fought, his eyes glittering at the prospect of a new opponent. She remembered his skin glistening with water and sweat, his hands red with someone else's blood, his lips twisted in a sadistic smile. She remembered his harsh words, his condescending manner, the times that he hurt her, slamming her down against shards of glass again and again. She remembered it all.

Once upon a time, she changed.

She trained, became as good as they were. She was still thin as the waning crescent in the sky, still as pale as newly fallen snow, but she was strong. She was given as many missions as they were. And one day she was given that mission. The one that she had longed for.

Once upon a time, she captured him.

In the months that followed, she brought him home, helped to cure him with her skills. And slowly she broke through Coldheart, finding the burning center. He watched her, waited for her each day, trained with her, went with her on missions. She was his caretaker, and he loved her.

Once upon a time, he proclaimed it.

He told her that he loved her with all of his cold, cold heart. He took her and kissed her, underneath a cherry tree in the rain. He held her close, whispering that he was sorry that he had ever hurt her, ever left her. He asked her to stay with him forever, asked if she still loved him.

And once upon a time, she did the hardest thing.

Once upon a time, she walked away.


End file.
